


Turn Undead

by Mightybignein (Blueberryshortcake)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caduceus is not comfortable with the undead, Canonical Character Death, Feels, Gen, Ghosts, Out of whack dnd spells, Which might be a problem in this case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 13:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16517072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberryshortcake/pseuds/Mightybignein
Summary: There is a ghost haunting the Mighty Nein that only Caduceus can see. He does not abide the undead, but the ghost refuses to remain banished.





	Turn Undead

**Author's Note:**

> Not exactly sure where this is going, but tags will be updated as more of the story comes out.

He thought for a moment the ghost was his sign from the Wildmother.

 

“Seems safe enough,” The Tiefling muttered looking around. “Not that I’m much of a scout seeing as I can’t tell anyone, but still they should be--”

 

That wasn’t a person.

 

That was not a person.

 

He inhaled quickly and raised his hand. Turn undead. The ghost gave a look of disbelief and fear and moved away.

 

His hand shook. Just a little. There should be no spirits in his graveyard.

 

He went into his house. Made tea to calm himself down.

 

And then there were more in his graveyard. His sign.

 

They shared tea, he looked at all their faces and wondered who the ghost was haunting.

 

-

 

Turn undead.

 

With this new group he found that his energies and spells were being used up more quickly than they had ever in his life before. Chasing the ghost away from this new group could end up excessively dangerous.

 

And it was a fresh ghost. One that selfishly clung to life. One that did not submit to the natural order.

 

The Tiefling was somehow out of the cycle.

 

And he couldn’t get rid of him all the time. He needed to sleep, so he slept uneasily knowing the spector walked among them at those times when they were most vulnerable.

 

The others didn’t see him.

 

“What did you just…” He looked up and looked at his own raised hand. Mr. Caleb rode beside him on the horse looking worn out. He had wondered in the beginning if it was Caleb that the ghost followed. The man held a deep sadness, grief that didn’t go away. But he caught glimpses of the ghost around Nott and Beau as well in the moments before banishing him away again. This was the friend they had lost by the road before they had met.

 

“Nothing,” Caduceus gave an light smile. Mr. Caleb was easy enough to smile to. If there was a man who needed kind reassurances Caduceus had found him. Caleb shied away from the gentleness, looked off into the cold woods. Leadership was a burden he wore uncomfortably, but handled it well.

 

He wanted to ask them, all of them. But that was dangerous. They were still deep in grief and fear for their other friends, and giving them false hope would only put ideas into their heads. The ghost was past the point of natural resurrection. He needed to be let go of.

 

They couldn’t know.

 

-

 

Mollymauk spat on the ashes of the evil slaver. Caduceus had just enough power to turn him away again.

 

-

 

He watched his friends as they moved toward the grave marker. Different stages of grief. Some of them very fresh, some of them older now. Caleb was weary. Nott’s face hidden in his coat, but brave in the face of it. Beau’s anger was fresh all over again. Fjord’s sadness quiet, formal. Tears ran down Jester’s face and Yasha screamed at the heavens.

 

All through it the ghost watched them.

 

“I’m here. I’m here. I’m here! Please see me! Yasha--”

 

Yasha walked away, towards an oncoming storm.

 

“Jester, it’s me, I’m here. Fjord. You can spit up sea water but you can’t see dead people?”

 

Caduceus slowly stepped forward.

 

“May I?”

 

“No you may not. Get the fuck away from me… Get the fuck away from them!” The Tiefling yelled. His grief etched on his face. “Stop chasing me away!”

 

This was for the best, and maybe this would help them all.

 

He reached down into the dirt, as far as he could go.

 

The spell took root.

 

He waited.

 

The Ghost didn’t disappear.

 

He used turn undead again.

 

-

 

“Yes.”

 

Fjord looked confused.

 

“I’ve met a ghost I didn’t want to punch,” Caduceus explained. He held up his hand before the tiefling had any time to materialize.

 

It wasn’t that he felt violence towards him. But he was in the wrong place. He needed to go.

 

-

 

He sat up for watch. The middle shift. When he felt the shade come closer he didn’t banish it. He turned. The Tiefling tensed realizing he was seen, preparing for the spell. Caduceus didn’t cast it as much as everything in his being told him to.

 

“Hello, Mr. Mollymauk,” Caduceus said quietly so as not to wake up his friends. The ghost perked up, a grin on his face.

 

“You’re not chasing me away again?

 

“Not yet,” Caduceus voice was low. This was everything he was against. This being was unnatural and dangerous, but he wasn’t going away.

 

Mollymauk tilted his head, studying him. Making decisions. He carefully moved closer to the fire. He paused between Mr. Caleb and Ms. Beau.

 

“You’re talking to me, not them,” Caduceus said sharply, protectively. Already protective. Maybe he had been alone too long to so quickly bond with these still strangers. Mollymauk stiffened.

 

“They can’t hear me anyway,” He sounded bitter at that. “Just you ‘Mr. Clay.’”

 

He had thought so, but it was good to have that confirmed. The last thing they needed was the ghost finding an ally in hearts too broken to realize his dangers.

 

Caduceus sipped his tea, watched as the ghost sat on the ground on the opposite side of the fire pit.

 

“You know, you have a lot of nerve,” Mollymauk said, voice casual. “You show up out of nowhere and chase me off. They’re _my_ people. I belong with them. Who are you?”

 

“Someone who knows better than to trust something like you.”

 

“Something like me?” Mollymauk’s eyes narrow.

 

“Undead things,” Caduceus clarified.

 

“Well I’m not exactly in a position to argue. Hell if I know what I am, or how this happened, but whatever the case I’m here for them, not you, and I do not mean these people harm. I would rather--” He cut himself off. Chuckled ironically. “I guess I sort of did die for them.”

 

Caduceus felt a roll of frustration with the thing in front of him. He was tempted to turn him away out of their warm protective circle of fire.

 

“If no one has come for you that means you did something to make that happen,” Caduceus said.

 

Mollymauk fidged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I woke up like this. I didn’t do a bloody thing to make this happen.”

 

“Then someone else did.”

 

“Yes, someone else did, but I don’t care who or why. If no one’s coming to pick me up for the afterlife, then I’m going to stay with them and...”

 

“And do what?” Caduceus prompted. “You can’t be heard or seen or touched. They don’t know you’re here.”

 

“But they could! You see me! You could tell them! I could help you help them!”

 

He felt ill, letting himself get to the point where an undead spector could try and bargain with him.

 

He raised his hand and turned undead.

 

“Bastard!” Mollymauk spat even as he got up and ran away.

 

-

 

When he woke up at dawn Mollymauk was sitting beside Caleb, who had taken last watch.  He spoke softly to the man who was totally unaware of his presence.

 

“Well, at least you’re polite about it. Tell your friend hello for me, alright?”

 

He was confused until he watched Mr. Caleb’s little cat climb onto his shoulders and gently headbutted his human in a reassuring way. Caleb smiled.

 

“Oh, hullo there friend, are you bored?” He stroked the cat’s fur.

  
“Yes,” Mollymauk answered wistfully, as if Mr. Caleb had been talking to him. “So nice of you to ask Mr. Caleb.”

 

Caduceus’ stomach lurched. He understood a little more that small sharp moment of pain the first time he had addressed Caleb as he addressed everyone else. A little joke between friends that still hurt.

 

He pretended to keep sleeping, watching the two… three with the cat. Once again he felt a creeping fear, the specter being so close to the human, but he needed more information. He had to figure out how to banish this ghost for good.

 

“We didn’t do many watches together did we?” Mollymauk mused. He was perched on the same rock as Caleb, as if they were back to back. “It’s always you and Nott.”

 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Caleb sighed softly. Mollymauk sat bolt upright, but the wizard continued petting his cat, talking to him. “We have the others back now and we have Caduceus. Together they can take care of one another… and Nott will be fine with them, better off with them. I should go. Maybe I should…”

 

Frumpkin mewed.

 

“You’re right, later. We’ll go later. It’s still working. We’re better together… it’s still working.”

 

“Oh Caleb,” Mollymauk said sadly, his hand passed through the human’s shoulder.

 

Caduceus waited another few minutes until he pulled himself up and turned undead. Mollymauk sent a flurry of insults in abysal towards him even as he ran away.


End file.
